Many gamers like to share their own stories or show off their favorite games. They’ll record videos of their own game play, often with personal commentaries about what they like, dislike, what surprises them, what they find interesting, give advice to their audience, or just whatever is on their mind. These videos are called “Walkthroughs” and make up a large number of the videos dedicated to games posted up on Youtube and other sites. For my own research, I had to scour up many different walkthroughs of Mass Effect and other games on the side. I didn’t get to watch all of them, but I nonetheless assembled a large number of different players interacting with their games, making choices, and conversing with fellow players in the comments section.

The source I consulted the most belonged to a player named “Schaly” who is part of a group called the “Walkthrough Corner,” which is dedicated to making and posting different walkthroughs onto Youtube about their favorite (and sometimes not so favorite) games. In other words, players make their own internet communities on the web to discuss, consult, criticize, and just show off the games they love (or hate). Unfortunately, I did not have time to truly explore and learn all that I could about walkthroughs and what they mean to gamers and internet surfers alike, but this is a form of New Media that is worth paying attention to.

-William Clifford

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsmp1rYnp0&list=PLC526897DE6A62AC6[/youtube]